We met at an international student worship night on August 20th, 2022 - the first weekend after Aliyah arrived at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. After the worship time, we briefly met and then ended up chatting in a group. When I (Michael) mentioned church-planting and missions, Aliyahs eyes lit up, and she said, I love the church! That conversation was when I noticed something special in Aliyah: her deep love for Jesus, his Bride, and his Word.


A few days later, Michael was studying outside, and I (Aliyah) went up to him with my friend, Ruby, to ask a question about our Old Testament Survey class for which he was the TA. He invited us to study with him at his table, so we sat down, but Ruby soon left because Michael and I were talking too much! It felt like we just clicked in that conversation, and we began to discover that our hearts were aligned on so many things. I left that “study session” thinking that this Michael Paul was a solid guy.


We grew in our friendship throughout that semester, going on a few runs together and spending many evenings studying outside with a group of friends. I (Aliyah) describe Michael during that time as being “gently there”. He was so patient and gentle, but he was consistently there. By the end of that semester, it was pretty clear that God was drawing us together, so after we got back from Christmas break, Michael asked me out and we started dating!


We were delighted to spend the spring semester getting to know each other and making the most of the time together before I (Michael) graduated. I took Aliyah to Canada to introduce her to my family, and then I got to meet her family at her sister’s wedding. That summer I took a trip to England, and we went on a mission trip to Albania together before starting long-distance. The Lord has been faithful through the ups and downs of the past year of long-distance, drawing us closer to one another, growing our love for the Lord and for each other, and emboldening our vision for how we could join in with God’s mission as a team.


Finally, after many phone calls, sweet reunions, much prayer, wise counsel from dear friends, and our hearts being knit together, the moment came. On June 22nd, 2024, Michael asked Aliyah to marry him, and beaming with joy Aliyah said YES!!! We are praising God for the incredible gift he has given us in each other and SO excited to begin our life together! Less than a year of long-distance left and then no more goodbyes and we begin the adventure of marriage!!